FIFA has appointed an all-Argentine on-field referee crew to officiate the France vs. Morocco quarterfinal at the 2026 World Cup. This decision preceded Morocco's 2-0 loss on July 9th, which ended their tournament run after they finished second in their group with seven points.
Why were all the referees from Argentina?
The selection of five on-field officials from one country stems from FIFA's meticulous evaluation system. Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer, outlined a three-year monitoring process involving referees from all six continental confederations. Selected officials attended seminars, passed fitness tests, and officiated FIFA tournaments, receiving support from physical and mental health professionals at a pre-tournament camp in Miami. FIFA rules forbid officials from working games involving their own country, and with Argentina still active on the opposite side of the bracket at the time, the crew was eligible for the assignment.
Who are the officials in charge of the match?
Leading the crew is head referee Facundo Tello of Argentina. He is assisted by Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, with Dario Herrera as the fourth official and Cristian Navarro as the reserve assistant referee. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team is led by Argentina's Hernan Mastrangelo, assisted by Leodan Gonzalez of Uruguay and Tatiana Guzman of Nicaragua. The reserve assistant can replace any of the four on-field officials in case of injury.
How are World Cup referees assigned?
The 2026 World Cup referee pool consists of 52 referees, 88 assistants, and 30 video assistant referees from 50 different countries. Somali referee Omar Artan was selected but could not attend after being denied entry to the United States. FIFA tracks officials' performances throughout the tournament to appoint them for specific matches, with assignments announced three or four days before each game. The final decision on any call rests with the referee on the pitch, even after VAR alerts.
What was the French coach's reaction?
France head coach Didier Deschamps addressed the situation on Wednesday, July 8th. Deschamps said: "We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee." His comments came before his team's victory, while Morocco had scored six goals and conceded three in their three group stage matches. Fans can explore the team's full statistics on our stats page.
What is Morocco's status after the exit?
Morocco exits the 2026 World Cup following a strong group stage performance, earning seven points from two wins and a draw. However, recent form shows a dip, with two losses and two draws in their last five matches, resulting in a record of one win, two draws, and two losses. The focus now turns to learning from the experience and preparing for future competitions, with squad updates available on our squad page. These details were originally reported by USA TODAY.
